Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) Shares Acquired by Vise Technologies Inc.

Vise Technologies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 39.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,921 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,386 shares during the quarter. Vise Technologies Inc.'s holdings in Ecolab were worth $1,153,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ECL. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $521,399,000. Winslow Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 98.6% in the 4th quarter. Winslow Capital Management LLC now owns 1,427,083 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $334,394,000 after acquiring an additional 708,432 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 206.7% in the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 767,108 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $179,749,000 after acquiring an additional 516,970 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Ecolab by 19.7% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,129,058 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $733,201,000 after purchasing an additional 514,944 shares during the period. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in shares of Ecolab during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $80,564,000. Institutional investors own 74.91% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Stock Performance

NYSE ECL traded down $0.32 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $262.44. The stock had a trading volume of 301,524 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,165,567. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $220.96 and a 52-week high of $273.69. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $247.66 and a 200 day moving average of $248.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.26. The stock has a market cap of $74.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.05.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.50% and a net margin of 13.42%. The firm had revenue of $3.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.34 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ecolab Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 17th will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 17th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on ECL shares. Wells Fargo & Company set a $260.00 target price on Ecolab and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Redburn Atlantic cut shares of Ecolab from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $270.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Ecolab from $270.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Ecolab from $277.00 to $273.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised Ecolab from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $283.13.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director David Maclennan purchased 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $251.75 per share, with a total value of $125,875.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 19,465 shares in the company, valued at $4,900,313.75. The trade was a 2.64% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company's stock.

Ecolab Company Profile

Ecolab Inc provides water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Global Industrial; Global Institutional & Specialty; and Global Healthcare & Life Sciences. The Global Industrial segment offers water treatment and process applications, and cleaning and sanitizing solutions to manufacturing, food and beverage processing, transportation, chemical, metals and mining, power generation, pulp and paper, commercial laundry, petroleum, refining, and petrochemical industries.